Alton On The Spot puts you on the spot, with what's hot and what's not in the wonderful world of art and creativity. From the galleries and the museums, the runways and the airwaves, the streets and the stages - I seek the beauty of inspiration, high and low, anywhere and everywhere I can find it.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Gun sculpture silenced in trigger-happy Texas

Introducing Rakewell, Apollo’s wandering eye on the art world. Look out for regular posts taking a rakish perspective on art and museum stories.

Rakewell’s thousand-yard stare is today directed towards Houston,
where student artist Alton DuLaney has found himself in the line of fire
over a recent sculpture. The work in question – a framed revolver with
the word ‘ART’ printed on a flag protruding from its barrel – has
reportedly been censored at an exhibition at the Blaffer Art Museum.

According to the Houston Press, the
decision to censor DuLaney’s work was taken by officials from the
University of Houston, on whose campus the Blaffer is located (it houses
the university’s teaching collection). The gun has now been removed
from the exhibit, presumably along with the point of the work: namely,
as DuLaney says, to highlight the prevalence of guns in Texan culture.

Oddly enough, the silencing of this
work coincides with the passing of the State of Texas’s new ‘campus
carry’ law, which, as of August, will allow students at public
universities across the Lone Star State to carry concealed guns. Among
the institutions where the new law will apply is… the University of
Houston! Indeed, back in February, when the law was ratified, UH
prepared a slideshow warning faculty members to be ‘careful discussing
sensitive topics’, ‘Not “go there” if you sense anger’ and, most
astonishingly, to ‘drop certain topics from [their] curriculum’. And
although UH has attempted to limit the terms of the new law – forbidding firearms in as many buildings and campus spaces
as it can – one does rather marvel at the university museum’s decision
to interfere with DuLaney’s work.

As the Press reports, UH’s Office of Central Council has
said that even if DuLaney had tried to exhibit his, erm, explosive work
after the new measures are implemented, it would still have been
suppressed – though it has as yet neglected to explain why.

At this
point, might Rakewell suggest that the censorious officials reconsider
their priorities?

University of Houston removes student’s gun art project—just weeks before campus carry law goes into effect

ART Gun by Alton DuLaney at center of Texas controversy. 2016.

The University of Houston has removed a student artist’s project
that shows a real gun shooting a banner that says “art”—just weeks
before Texas’ new concealed-campus-carry law goes into effect.The Daily Cougar reports that first-year MFA student Alton DuLaney created the piece to make a direct statement on the law, which was passed last summer.

He then directly contacted the University’s police about whether his
piece would be allowed; the police forwarded his inquiry to school
administrators. Eventually, the Office of the General Counsel released
the following statement:

“Under current Texas state law, firearms are forbidden on campus. The
fact that they may be exhibited as part of an arts exhibition doesn’t
change the analysis.”

In an email, the Cougar said, the school’s chief of police added, “No
guns are currently allowed on campus. We do not censor art.”

“There’s an obvious implication of power that this thing has, that
this inanimate object has when combined with ammunition and intent to
create damage,” DuLaney told Houston Press. “So I wanted to create a piece that said all of that, but that was diffused by being cloaked in a statement of art.”
Nine states now have concealed campus carry laws.

“I was hoping my alterations of this piece would transform it and it
would be seen strictly as an art piece and then we could be having this
conversation,” DuLaney told ABC13.
“The authorities here on campus felt otherwise. They felt it was still a
weapon, even though it had been altered, and couldn’t be included.”

Monday, May 9, 2016

The censorship of the piece has garnered more attention than it would have originally.

By Rhonda Fanning & Laura Rice | May 9, 2016 12:00 pm

ART Gun by Alton DuLaney, Texas 2016.

Courtesy Anton DuLaney

The original ARTGun piece has been modified due to university rules.

The school of art annual student exhibition is underway at the University of Houston’s Blaffer Art Museum. An incomplete piece called ‘ARTGun’ is on display in the exhibition.

The art? A .22 revolver, unloaded and displayed in a glass frame with
a red flag with the words “ART” on it sticking out of the barrel. But
the university police and the school’s general council said it could not
be displayed as originally designed. The gun is no longer part of the
art. Instead, it’s now a framed box with a cut out of where the gun was
originally supposed to be
Artist Anton DuLaney, the creator of ‘ARTGun’ says the school
authorities made it clear that the “gun is not allowed on campus and it
is not open to discussion.”

As a native Texan DuLaney says that guns are “omnipotent” in Texas.

“In my work I try to examine pride, power and patriotism and for me the actual gun represented all those things,” DuLaney says.

DuLaney says that while he understands that the school was enforcing
the law, it is still censorship. He says the gun would have been
displayed in a glass frame and the museum has security cameras so it
posed no threat to anyone.

The censorship has generated more interest in the piece than it would have otherwise received.
“They did me a big favor by not allowing it,” DuLaney says.

“I was really (more) interested in my First Amendment rights, than my
second amendment rights on this. They really just reinforced that for
me,” DuLaney says.

The censorship comes at a time when concealed handguns will be allowed on school campuses starting August this year.

“Through the course of this piece I started taking gun safety classes
and went through the whole training for the license to carry program
here in Texas,” DuLaney says. “I have got a broader perspective on this
now than ever before.”

Friday, May 6, 2016

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
A lot can happen in a week. Some of it good. Some of it bad. Some of
it downright ugly. When faced with intriguing developments in the week’s
news, we turn to our rotating panel of “non-experts” to parse The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
of it all. Today Kyrie O’Connor, Wayne Ashley and Russ Capper discuss
the possibility of the proposed high-speed rail line between Houston and
Dallas including a stop downtown, ALTON DULANEY - a University of Houston student
artist’s gun-themed work displayed without the gun, and suspicion by
municipalities over CenterPoint Energy’s request to charge customers to
cover an additional $60 million in costs to deliver power to the region.

Campus police censor UH student's gun-inspired ART

Is it art or a weapon? A University of Houston graduate student said his work of art was censored by campus police.

Alton
DuLaney told abc13 his piece titled "ART Gun" featured a .22 caliber
single action revolver to symbolize power. DuLaney placed a bright flag
with the world "ART" in the barrel of the gun.

The
artist said he wanted to spark a broader conversation about gun
culture. Instead, he was told the art was illegal to make or bring on
campus.

"I was trying to take a very neutral stance on it
because it's a very divided subject here in Texas in particular, whether
pro or anti-gun," said DuLaney.

"My stance was pro-art. I really
wanted to present it and let the viewing audience have the
conservation. I really wanted to start up a conversation. I think the
censoring of it by the police department was very helpful in that."

ART Gun by Alton DuLaney. Texas May 2016

DuLaney's
piece is hanging inside the Blaffer Museum for the annual student art
exhibition without the revolver. There are two explainers placed next to
it -- one written by DuLaney and another from general counsel.

"I
view the museum as a sacred place. I think art has the power to
transform both objects and opinions. I was hoping my alterations of this
piece would transform it and it would be seen strictly as an art piece
and then we could be having this conversation. The authorities here on
campus felt otherwise. They felt it was still a weapon, even though it
had been altered, and couldn't be included."

The University of Houston released the following statement to abc13 when asked for comment.

"SB11,
adopted in our last legislative session, allows individuals licensed to
carry concealed handguns to 'carry a concealed handgun on or about the
license holder's person while the license holder is on the campus of an
institution of higher education' effective August 1, 2016 subject to
rules adopted by the president of the institution.

"Until August
1, 2016, the Texas Penal Code prohibits a person from bringing a firearm
onto campus, even in the guise of 'art.' The art as proposed was to
include a real firearm and therefore, it was explained that the law did
not have an exception for what was proposed. Under these circumstances,
the guidance provided to the student and the Blaffer was related to
compliance, nothing more."

UH Removes Gun Art Display From Exhibit, Pretty Much Making Artist's Point for Him

Artist Alton DuLaney couldn't be mad that
University of Houston officials censored his gun art from an exhibit at
the Blaffer Art Museum — they basically made his point for him.

Despite
the fact that students will literally be sitting in English class with
loaded guns on them in just three months, apparently DuLaney's exhibit,
showing an unloaded revolver with a cartoonish banner that says "ART"
protruding from its barrel, is all too threatening right now. Unlike
private schools, UH is required to implement the new campus carry law
slated to go into effect this August whether it likes it or not (from
the looks of its restrictive campus-carry proposal,
it doesn't like it). But even if DuLaney's exhibit went up in August
while students were packing heat on the sidewalks, the UH Office of
General Counsel has, interestingly, said that DuLaney's gun art still
likely wouldn't have been allowed. (Yeah, we're still waiting on the
office's further explanation for that.)

Now, the ART banner is the
only item behind the glass, but DuLaney said the gun's absence may say
more than its presence: “It proved my point about how controversial this
object was,” he said.

DuLaney had planned to make a statement about the power of guns by
juxtaposing the revolver with the "bang" comic-book-like graphic that
says "ART." That cartoonish element reminded DuLaney of how guns are so
omnipresent in Texas culture that, even for kids in this state, toy guns
are part of growing up. He was wondering: If he transformed the gun to
look this way, would it still have as much power? After UH's decision,
the answer was, well, apparently yes.

“There's an obvious implication of power that this thing has, that this
inanimate object has when combined with ammunition and intent to create
damage,” DuLaney said. “So I wanted to create a piece that said all of
that, but that was diffused by being cloaked in a statement of art."

The UH Office of General Counsel posted a two-paragraph explanation
directly beneath DuLaney's display case for why the school banned the
gun from the show, citing the Texas law that bans guns on campus (until
August). Never mind the fact that someone else created an entire exhibit
of prison shanks and nunchucks that are evenly laid out in a
seven-foot-long display box — that's apparently fair game.

Which
is pretty funny to DuLaney, given that, even if people were carrying
deadly weapons on their way to class, his gun art (but not prison
shanks) would still be off-limits...behind a glass case.

At the time he thought up the display, conversations were swirling around campus carry, some with heated intensity.DuLaney
says his display is intended to be neutral, but that he was hoping it
would still “fan the flames of dialogue” amid controversial debate. At
UH, it was apparent just how touchy the subject had become among faculty
after one professor even directed faculty in a presentation
to “Be careful discussing sensitive topics,” to “Drop certain topics
from your curriculum” and to “Not 'go there' if you sense anger.”
“There's a weariness or fragility to having that conversation,” DuLaney
said, hoping his artsy gun would eliminate some of that.

Last week, the University of Houston’s Art Department opened their
annual show of works by first and second-year graduate students as well
as UH undergrads. Prior to the exhibition’s opening, MFA student Alton DuLaney met with resistance from UH’s Police and Legal departments about a work he wanted to include in the show. The piece, ART Gun, is made from a pistol and was intended to comment on the recent campus carry law passed in Texas—as a public university, UH will be required to allow concealed weapons on campus starting August 1st of this year.

The UH Police sent the artist this statement: “I have consulted with Legal and the gun is not to be allowed on campus. From both our positions, the matter is closed”

The artist on their reason for creating ART Gun:“I wanted to create a piece of ART that took a neutral stance on the subject while at the same time commenting on the omnipresence of guns in the American culture and society, and opening up the dialog to this conversation.”

DuLaney says the work is inspired by Chris Burden, Marina
Abramovic, Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Roy Lichtenstein, and Mel Chin
(who recently had a show at the Blaffer Art Museum on campus).

Ultimately, the artist chose to exhibit the work without the gun,
asking, “Did the authorities give even more power to the object by
forbidding its exhibition and thereby validate the power of the ART by
censoring it?”

The gun was part of my art. UH said no.

Is some art too dangerous to display?

By Alton DuLaney, for the Houston Chronicle

May 2, 2016

The original version of "ARTGun," by artist Alton DuLaney. The
University of Houston denied him permission to display the work as
intended. Through May 14, a gun-less version is on view at Blaffer Art
Museum.

I am an artist. I make art. In my work I examine the concepts of pride, power, and patriotism, especially as it relates to art.

Having recently moved back to my native Texas to obtain an MFA
through the University of Houston, I have been fascinated with the
discourse about guns — especially the loaded (pun intended) topics of
concealed handgun licenses, licenses to carry, and campus carry.

I wanted to create a piece of art that took a neutral stance on the
controversial subject, while at the same time commenting of the
omnipresence of guns in the American culture. I quickly learned that
getting a gun in Texas is much easier than getting an MFA.

For the annual exhibition of student art at UH's Blaffer Art Museum, I
created a piece called "ARTGun": A real .22 revolver, not loaded, in a
glass frame, with a cartoon-like "Bang" flag protruding from its barrel.

People familiar with art history will see that I was drawing on a
long list of artists who've gone before me. I used the same caliber of
gun that artist Chris Burden used "Shoot," the famous 1971 performance
in which he had an assistant shoot him in the arm. I referenced Marina Abramovic, who in a 1974 performance laid out a table with 72 items, including a loaded gun, and invited artists to do as they saw fit. Then there's Andy Warhol (with his famous portrait of a gun­slinging Elvis), Marcel Duchamp (and his exploration in the beauty of the ready­made), Roy Lichtenstein (with his comic book approach to Pop Art), and even Mel Chin (who has exhibited works of art relating to both firearms and ammunitions at the Blaffer Art Museum).

The gun-less version of "ARTGun" — along with
the artist's statement and a statement by Blaffer Art Museum — is part
of the Blaffer's annual student art exhibiton.

When I proposed this piece for the show, I was advised by the UH
police and legal departments that "the gun is not to be allowed on
campus...(and) the matter is closed." Despite my efforts, and those of
the museum, the piece was forbidden from being exhibited in its original
form.

I have chosen to include the piece in the show anyway — only without the gun that was central to its original conception.

The situation brings up interesting questions:

­When a thing (a revolver) is designated an artifact (an art object object) is it still regarded as contraband (a weapon)?

­How is an unloaded piece of
industrial design securely framed and under glass hanging on the wall as
art, in a museum with security and cameras, still considered inherently
and prohibitively dangerous?

­Does art have the power to transform things, appearances, beliefs, opinions?

­Is this object so powerful and taboo that it can't even be allowed into the building?

­Can we as a society see guns on TV and in movies, and even out on the street, but not in the museum?

­Is a museum a sacred space?

­By not allowing the gun into the the
exhibition, was even more power given to the object, and thereby
validate the power of the ART by censoring it?

Student art ‘censored’ at Blaffer Museum

Many of DuLaney’s pieces explore and question themes of power, pride and
patriotism. He calls his works “self-referential,” as each piece
contains the word “ART.” | Pablo Milanese / The Cougar

The tagline for the School of Art’s Annual Student Exhibition, which will run
Friday through May 14, asserts the student creations will leave the
studio and be displayed for the public. One piece of art, however, will not get to the museum in full form.

Even though first year M.F.A student Alton DuLaney finished his
piece, which features a revolver, months ago, it will be exhibited
without the gun in the Blaffer Art Museum after the UH Office of the
General Counsel prohibited it.

“Ideally, the museum should be the
one making that decision, not the police department,” DuLaney said. “My
goal is just to bring attention to this whole situation, both the
censorship and the fact that (handguns) will be allowed on campus in
classrooms soon but not in the museum.”

DuLaney, who studies
interdisciplinary practice and emerging forms, intended for his piece to
be shown as he originally designed it: a revolver enclosed in a glass
frame with a silk flag reading “ART” emerging from the barrel. DuLaney
said he hoped his piece would be an innocuous statement and ignite
conversations regarding campus carry.

After DuLaney created the piece, he
contacted UHPD directly. His query was forwarded to the Office of the
General Counsel, which said DuLaney would not be allowed to have the gun
on campus. The piece will now hang in the exhibition without the
revolver.

DuLaney’s
piece will be displayed without the revolver in the Blaffer Art Museum
from April 29 through May 14. | Courtesy of Alton DuLaney

“Under current Texas state law,
firearms are forbidden on campus. The fact that they may be exhibited as
part of an arts exhibition doesn’t change the analysis,” according to a
statement from the Office of the General Counsel, which does not
consider the prohibition as censorship.

“No guns are currently allowed on campus. We do not censor art,” said UH Chief of Police Ceaser Moore Jr. in an email.

DuLaney and IPEF Director John Reed, who approved DuLaney’s piece for the exhibition, disagree.“In an art gallery context, this is
my first example of censorship,” Reed said. “If somebody can’t express
themselves, then it is censorship. Sometimes, we as a society feel
that’s justified, and sometimes we feel that it’s not.”

In this case, Reed said the UHPD and General Counsel’s decision had no justification.“The gun in the piece is really not
available as a gun,” Reed said. “It’s mounted in a frame. It has a flag
down its barrel. It’s unloaded, and it’s in an environment where
security is watching it the entire time the gallery is open. Humorously,
it would be far easier to walk in with your own gun than to come in,
steal that gun, load it and then use it for something. It’s really not a
safety issue.”

Reed called DuLaney a “wise student
and mature thinker” who raises questions before stepping back and
allowing the viewers to come up with their own answers.

DuLaney said he hoped his piece would
encourage people to ask questions like, “By not allowing the gun into
the the exhibition, was even more power given to the object, and thereby
validated the power of the ART by censoring it?” and “Is a museum a
sacred space?”

“I think that’s an artist’s job: put
the question out there so that we have to deal with it, and that’s what
he’s tried to do,” Reed said. “With or without the gun, the discussion
has to happen. Whether (Blaffer Art Museum’s director and chief curator)
Claudia Schmuckli’s version of the show or Ceaser Moore’s version of
the show is what we see, Alton’s piece, luckily, will bring up the same
discussion either way.”

ART Gun

My name is Alton DuLaney. I am an Artist. I make ART. In my work I examine the concepts of Pride, Power, and Patriotism, especially as it relates to ART and the identity politics of being an American Artist.

Having recently moved back to my native Texas to obtain an MFA through the University of Houston, I have been fascinated with the discourse about guns, the incredibly loaded (pun intended) topic of Concealed Handgun License, License To Carry, and especially Campus Carry. I wanted to create a piece of ART that took a neutral stance on the controversial subject, while at the same time commenting on the omnipresence of guns in the American culture, and opening up the dialog to these conversations. Thus the piece ART Gun was conceived. I soon learned that getting a gun in Texas is much easier than getting an MFA!

Artist Alton DuLaney sketch ART Gun Texas 2016

Exploring the gun as an object of power, the piece I have created for this exhibition is called ART Gun, and is inspired by Chris Burden (using the same caliber of gun he used in his famous shooting piece), Marina Abramovic (who used a pistol in one of her early performances), Andy Warhol (with his famous portrait of a gun-slinging Elvis), Marcel Duchamp (and his exploration in the beauty of the ready-made), and Roy Lichtenstein (with his comic book approach to Pop Art), and even Mel Chin (who has exhibited works of art relating to both firearms and ammunition at the Blaffer Art Museum).

Roy Lichtenstein inspiration for ART Gun by Alton DuLaney

Combining my varied experience and interests of art history, window design, circus arts, custom framing, and media training, I created what I intended to be a neutral yet provocative statement on the implicit power of the firearm, as well as ART’s power to transform objects, appearances, and hopefully opinions. After all, in Texas, a gun is a common toy for children, so surely it could also be ART. With the debate being so au courant, I did my research into art precedence and local law.

Inspiration for ART Gun by Alton DuLaney 2016

I educated myself on gun safety. I wanted to make sure that no one was harmed in the production and exhibition of this piece, including myself. I took numerous gun safety classes, completing the workshop and exams to be certified for a LTC license. However getting the piece into the Blaffer Museum, proved harder than hitting the bull’s eye.

When I proposed this piece for the show, I was advised by the UH Police and Legal departments that …”the gun is not to be allowed on campus…(and) the matter is closed”. Despite my efforts, and those from the museum, the piece was forbidden from being exhibited in its original form.

ART Gun by Artist Alton DuLaney Texas 2016

I have chosen to include the piece in the show, presented here without the gun, because the situation brings up several interesting questions:

- When a thing (revolver) is designated an artifact (ART object) is it still regarded as contraband (weapon)?

- How is an unloaded piece of industrial design securely framed and under glass hanging on the wall as ART in a museum with security and cameras still considered inherently and prohibitively dangerous?

- Does ART have the power to transform things, appearances, beliefs, opinions?

- Is this particular object so powerful and taboo that it can’t even be allowed into the building?

- Can we as a society see guns on TV and in Movies and even out on the street but not in the museum?

- Is a museum a sacred space?

- By not allowing the gun into the the exhibition, was even more power given to the object, and thereby validate the power of the ART by censoring it?

- When can a gun be justified on campus or in a museum?

- What is the difference between displaying and brandishing?

- Is it freedom of expression or is it public safety?

Ultimately, this piece of ART was not created to be Pro- or Anti-Gun, but Pro-ART!
The piece is on exhibit at the Blaffer Art Museum until 14 May 2016.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Alton DuLaney and dog AureLeo in "Do-Ville" in Houston Texas March 2016

Nearly every major city has at least one. An Eiffel Tower or a Disney Concert Hall. A Golden Gate Bride or a Guggenheim Museum. A building or structure or landmark that stands independently of it’s given city limits, that comes to represent the place where it is geographically land-locked as an iconic symbol of that place, the image of which says NYC just as loudly, by only showing the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, or the Freedom Tower. (It could be argued that all of Manhattan has been art directed, considering that the island was leveled and mapped and planned. Even Central Park is essentially an enormous installation art piece, or stage set, orchestrated by Frederick Law Olmsted, with every tree, trail, rock, hill and pond carefully placed to create an overall look and feel. Perhaps then Christo and Jean Claude’s installation of orange gates in the park was a redundancy - art on art.)

Menil yard art in Houston Texas photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

Yes, every major city has at least one signature locale that speaks of the greater city at large, and more often than not these icons of urbanism are works of art (public art), tributes to the arts (museums), of exemplary architecture that elevates construction to an artistic level of respect and appreciation. One such example of this can be seen right here in our own back yard, in the Menil Collection - the Park, Museum, and surrounding galleries and buildings, what we shall refer to here as the Menil Neighborhood.

Menil Musuem in Houston Texas photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

Nestled in the heart of Montrose, the 30 acre “campus” of the Menil Foundation, (not including their home in River Oaks designed by Philip Johnson, with interiors by Charles James), is a testament to John and Dominique de Menil’s vision of art preservation and presentation.

The Menil Foundation in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

At the heart of the compound is the Menil Collection or Museum, designed by Renzo Piano and opened in 1987, it houses one of the largest privately held collections in the world.

The Menil Museum by Renzo Piano photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

Additionally there is: The Cy Twombly Gallery, also by Piano, features a retrospective of the American artist’s work dating from 1951 through his death in 2011;

Cy Twombly Gallery at Menil in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

The Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall, located in a former grocery store, was Dominique de Menil’s last commission;

Richmond Hall in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

The Byzantine Chapel, which originally housed 13th century frescos on a 15-year loan from Cyprus, and now the home of a rotating exhibition of sight-specific installations including currently “The Time Machine” installation;

out front, a gravity defying sculpture by Barnett Newman, the “Broken
Obelisk”, which is currently, "broken"( away for restorations);

The Broken Obelisk is broken! Photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

and the newest addition, the Bistro Menil,

Bistro Menil in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

a quaint little bistro with outdoor seating and an enjoyable happy hour.

Public Art at Bistro Menil in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

But what really defines the neighborhood is the collection of surrounding bungalows that the Menil Foundation began quietly buying in the 1960s in an epic effort to protect the atmosphere and character of the neighborhood.

"Do-Ville" at the Menil Collection in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

To unify the disparate architecture, the dozens of modest homes have all been painted the same shade of gray, now know as “Menil Gray”, thus giving a commonality and cohesiveness to the streets surrounding the park and the museum.

"Menil" or "Howard" Gray at the Menil Collection in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney

The particular shade of gray is also referred to as “Howard Gray” as it was actually conceived by Howard Barnstone, who took over the Rothko Chapel project from Johnson.

Live Oak tree in the Menil Neighborhood of Houston photo by Alton DuLaney

Dominique de Menil had requested a hue that would play well with the lush green lawns and majestic Live Oak trees of the park, as well as something that would not detract from the museum centerpiece she would eventually build in the park.

Menil Live Oak in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

Of note is that the Museum came later, and was painted to match the bungalows and not the other way around.

Menil Neighborhood in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

The neighborhood became known locally as “Doville” (Dominique’s-Village), and has for decades been both enclave and refuge to artists, writers, designers, and other creatives, that have called the bungalows home. Residents in these rent-controlled units have access to world-class art and institutions, and also contribute to the authenticity of the neighborhood, while maintaining the character and charm that first attracted Dominique to the area in the late 1950’s, when the Menil’s were instrumental in forming the University of St Thomas.

A half-century later, Dominique’s vision is alive and thriving in Houston, attracting tens-of-thousands of visitors each year, and fulfilling the philosophies of accessibility (the museum and all exhibits are free to the public),

Menil Collection in Houston hours of operation

the combination of spirituality and art (through the two chapels and tranquil, meditative park setting),

Menil Park in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney March 2016

and intimacy (housing artists and creatives in the neighborhood’s iconic gray bungalows).

Texas Artist Alton DuLaney with dog AureLeo at the Menil Collection in Houston

(For information on another great Texas artist who has work in the Menil Collection, check out this great book on Robert Rauschenberg published by the Menil.)

As one strolls through the park, surrounded by the cool gray-toned homes, and the understated yet impressive museum and surrounding galleries, it is easy to feel a sense of pride for the instantly recognizable art neighborhood. And though Dominique is long gone, her presence survives, as the compound continues to draw crowds and acclaim. And the vision continues to expand, with a master plan in the works for even more green spaces and the now-under-construction Menil Drawing Institute, which boasts to be the only free-standing building dedicated to works on paper in the USA. (The height of the new MDI, by the way, will be no more than 16ft, so as not to detract from or tower over the bungalows.)

Construction on the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston photo by Alton DuLaney

Definitely a neighborhood worth visiting on any tour of Houston. For more information on hours or exhibitions at the Menil Collection, visit their website.